Operation Just Cause: The U.S. Intervention in Panama by Bruce W Watson & Peter G. Tsouras

Author:Bruce W Watson & Peter G. Tsouras [Watson, Bruce W & Tsouras, Peter G.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: International Relations, Political Science, General
ISBN: 9781000272321
Google: TAeiDwAAQBAJ
Goodreads: 49789116
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2019-07-11T00:00:00+00:00

7

Assessing the Role of Air Power

Noris Lyn McCall

Operation Just Cause has prompted many questions concerning the future use of air power. Does this operation mark the beginning of a new chapter concerning the role of U.S.-based air power in U.S. foreign policy? If the predictions that future conflicts will be oriented more toward “North versus South” than “East versus West” are true, does the use of U.S.-based air power take on added importance? Or is Panama just an anomaly in that future conflict arenas may not have 13,000 U.S. troops and a U.S.-controlled air base ready for action when the operation begins? Only time can answer these questions with any certainty. Nonetheless, there is value in examining the use of U.S. air power during the invasion of Panama.

Just Cause was a success and has been described by military experts as a well executed coup de main. There is widespread consensus that it may not have been as successful, and surely would not have been as well executed without the airlift that provided a rapid buildup of forces in the theater. There is also general agreement that air power’s contributions to the operation in Panama were outstanding and significant to the outcome. This chapter will discuss the two relevant types of air power--the air lift and the other air operations--and will assess their relative contributions to the operation.

Airlift support for Just Cause was superb. Troops and equipment from U.S. bases were flown to Panama aboard C-5, C-141, and C-130 aircraft from the Military Airlift Command (MAC), the Air National Guard (ANG), and the Air Force Reserves (AFR) in a well-orchestrated operation. Tactical Air Command units and Air National Guard A-7s provided general operational support, while Strategic Air Command K-10 and KC-135 tankers supported with aerial refueling. Tables 7.1 and 7.2 list the MAC, ANG, and AFR units that participated in Just Cause.

MAC’s 21st and 22nd Air Forces provided both strategic and tactical airlift support on C-5s, C-141s, and C-130s, primarily for Army, Air Force, and Marine personnel. Twenty-four active duty MAC units from ten states participated in the operation. In addition to the airlift aircraft and crews, aeromedical evacuation units, special operations units, a weather detachment, an aerial port squadron, maintenance

Table 7.1 Active Duty Military Assistance Command (MAC) Units that Supported Operation Just Cause

Unit Location

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